


it's not settling if it feels right

by torigates



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can’t believe you cried,” Britta said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's not settling if it feels right

 

 

  
“I can’t believe you cried,” Britta said as she and Jeff left Annie, Troy, and Abed’s apartment. And that was still something she was getting used to--the idea of the three of them living together.

It was strange. Living with Troy and Abed seemed like the worst idea in the world to Britta. It seemed like something she would have done in her twenties; move in with two guys in a shitty two bedroom apartment. Then she remembered; Annie, Troy, and Abed _were_ in their twenties. Then she felt old.

“I wasn’t crying,” Jeff said.

Britta arched an eyebrow.

“Whatever,” he said, and shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s been a long week.”

“Maybe things wouldn’t have been so stressful for you if you had just helped Annie move in the first place,” she suggested. The apartment didn’t have an elevator, so they were taking the stairs. It was dingy. Britta wouldn’t have found it out of place if someone tried to sell them some meth.

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a bad person. We’ve been over this ad nauseam. Can we move on please?” he asked.

“I think you feel guilty,” Britta said.

They had reached the first floor of the building, and stepped out into the open air. It had gotten dark while the kids (and she hated that she thought of them that way sometimes, but she did. Oh, she did) had put on their puppet show. The night was brisk, and she burrowed deeper into her jacket.

“Cold?” Jeff asked.

She shook her head.

“I don’t feel guilty,” he said. His hand was at the small of her back, as he ushered her in the direction of his car.

She kind of hated that she had agreed to letting him give her a ride. All she wanted to do now was go home, take a bath, and watch some TV.

“Whatever you have to tell yourself,” she said.

“I _don’t_ ,” he said. They had reached Jeff’s car, and the two of them were standing outside the passenger side door.

Britta looked up at him. It really wasn’t fair that he was so tall. She always had to look up to meet his eyes, and she hated it. Jeff thought he was high and mighty enough as it was. She held her hands out in surrender. “Okay, okay,” she said. “You don’t feel guilty.”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything else.

“I’ll take you home,” he said after a minute.

Britta nodded. He stepped forward to reach for the door, and she stepped back to move out of his way. The cold metal of the car pressed up behind her, and Jeff stared down at her, his eyes meeting hers and then dropping to her mouth.

“Um,” she said.

“Unless you want to come back to my place?” he asked. It was the closest to hesitant she had ever heard him, and even that wasn’t saying much.

She should say no, she knew. She should say no, and go back to her own apartment, take her bath, and go to bed. Alone. Britta knew that. They fell into these patterns, her and Jeff. It was so easy to step back into them, even when she knew she shouldn’t.

His eyes were still on her mouth, and her body was pressed between the car and him. She should go home alone. Break the pattern.

“Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, your place sounds good.”


End file.
